The problem with all script books is that they are mostly written by people who haven’t written a single script or couldn’t sell any that they did.

I don’t know too many successful screenwriters who also write books describing how to do it. They probably don’t have time to do both.

Having said that, I still think we are blessed by all the wide variety of screenwriting books out there. I probably own at least thirty of them in my own private library. They are inspiring and some of them also hit certain things over the head.

“How to Write a Movie in 21 Days” by Viki King is an old classic. It is very practical, detailed and inspiring. And it also barely scratches the surface of the great art of screenwriting.

As the book’s title suggests, King claims that he can teach you how to write a screenplay in just 3 weeks if you have the gist in your heart and mind.

The structure you propose and your detailed instructions on how to write pages 1, 3, 10, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, and 120 of your script can point novice writers in the right direction.

These are some of the topics that King also addresses in his well-known book:

How to clarify the idea that you still do not have?

How do you know if your idea is really a movie?

How do you go from what you want to say to saying it?

How to stop preparing and start?

How to pay the rent while paying what corresponds to you?

How to move on when you think you can’t?

If you like movies and writing screenplays, I would definitely encourage you to get a copy of “21 Days” and read it cover to cover. You’ll forget most of it when you sit down at your keyboard and stare at that blank screen. But the things you remember could still benefit you and your greats in more ways than one.